SAN DIEGO – While holding court with news reporters after departing from his final All-Star Game on Tuesday, David Ortiz explained why he’s retiring, then briefly turned his attention to the player he sees as his ideal successor as the Boston Red Sox designated hitter.

“The Red Sox know they need to bring (power) to the middle of the lineup,’’ Ortiz said. “And, sorry Blue Jays, but who better than Encarnacion to do that?’’

Less than four months from now, the Boston brass will get a chance to answer that question.

Toronto DH Edwin Encarnacion will become a free agent after the season, and the line of suitors figures to start but certainly not end with the Red Sox. While full-time DHs have become less common as teams seek to increase flexibility by rotating players through that spot, Encarnacion’s offensive exploits make him a valuable commodity even when he plays first base only 32% of the time, as he has this season.

Encarnacion, 33, leads the majors with 80 RBI at the halfway point, the highest such figure in the game in three years. He’s also tied for third in the American League with 23 home runs while putting up an .898 on-base plus slugging percentage.

With a short, compact swing that generates huge power, the low-key Encarnacion anchors a Blue Jays lineup that has produced the third-most homers in the league, yet is better known for more celebrated hitters like reigning MVP Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista.

“Eddie, he’s a professional. He does a lot of studying, he does a lot of work, on and off the field,’’ Donaldson said. “He’s one of those guys you want up there when it’s a big at-bat. He’s been one of the most unknown power hitters in the game.’’

And one who will be handsomely paid when his current six-year, $43 million contract expires. Encarnacion cut off extension negotiations once the season began, preferring to focus on baseball. He and Bautista have made for a potent duo in Toronto for several years, but both may leave as free agents.

The Blue Jays, who last year ended a 21-year playoff drought, could be looking at a significant makeover of a club that currently sits two games back in the AL East, having won eight of its last 10 to enter the break at 51-40.

That matches the highest number of wins Toronto has had in the first half since its first World Series championship season of 1992, and with a rotation boosted by the standout performances of Marco Estrada, Aaron Sanchez and J.A. Happ, prospects for a return to the postseason look favorable.

First, though, the Blue Jays will have to figure out whether to keep the team intact and risk losing their two sluggers, a decision that may hinge on how they fare in the last two-plus weeks before the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

“I’ve been in Toronto for eight years and I feel very comfortable there,’’ Encarnacion said when asked about his future with the Blue Jays. “I like the team, I like the ballpark, the fan base. But it’s not in my hands. It’s not my decision to make.’’

That’s debatable, but there’s no argument the move north of the border was the best thing that could have happened to Encarnacion’s career. He played his first 4½ seasons as an erratic third baseman with the Cincinnati Reds, averaging 14 homers and nearly an .800 OPS but struggling with his throws. On July 31, 2009, the Reds packaged him with two other players in a trade with Toronto for veteran third baseman Scott Rolen.

Encarnacion did not take off right away, and in fact was waived after the 2010 season despite hitting 21 homers. He was briefly picked up then let go by the Oakland A’s before rejoining Toronto in December 2010.

The spike in Encarnacion’s production occurred after he started working with Luis Mercedes, who has also served as Robinson Cano’s personal hitting instructor in the offseason. Mercedes encouraged the slugger to shorten his swing and not let go of the bat with his top hand at the end of it. Encarnacion also lowered his hands and discarded his leg kick, while also becoming a more disciplined hitter through experience and knowledge of the pitchers.

The results speak for themselves. From 2012-15, Encarnacion averaged 38 home runs, 106 RBI and a .919 OPS without striking out as many as 100 times in any season. His 151 homers and 423 RBI in that span represent the second-highest totals in the majors.

“Swinging with both hands I have a more compact swing,’’ Encarnacion said. “I stay inside the ball more, and that’s something I need to do consistently.’’

New York Yankees coach Tony Pena, who managed Encarnacion in the 2013 World Baseball Classic and in winter ball, also noticed another major benefit from the trade to Toronto – getting him off the hot corner.

The Blue Jays first tried Encarnacion at first base in 2011, and he has played mostly there – he rates below average defensively – or as a DH ever since.

“The key move was when he stopped playing third base. That’s because when Edwin made an error, it would stay with him for several days,’’ Pena said. “He could catch the ball, so when they moved him to first base and he didn’t have to worry about throwing anymore, it was a big relief. He could just focus on hitting.’’

Much like Ortiz has done in becoming a near-certain Hall of Famer during a legendary career in Boston. His successor as the game’s preeminent DH could be a fellow Dominican who’s not as colorful and outgoing as Ortiz, but who commands similar respect among his peers.

“He has talked to me about that and shared some advice so I can have some of the success he has enjoyed,’’ Encarnacion said of Big Papi. “I always ask him questions and I’m proud of the friendship we have.’’